Altalena memorial on Tel-Aviv Beach
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The Prime Minister's Office and the Menachem Begin Heritage Center are expected to carry out an underwater search for the remnants of the Altalena in the coming weeks.
The Altalena was a ship belonging to the Irgun, a prestate Jewish militia, which was shelled and sunk by Israeli government forces when it tried to land an arms cargo shortly after the state's establishment.
A source in the Prime Minister's Office said the proposal to try to locate the remains of the ship came from the Begin Center. Reuven Pinsky, who heads the government office in charge of the heritage sites program, and Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, were both thrilled with the idea and brought it to the prime minister, who embraced it.
The initial funding for the project will be 200,000 shekel, to cover the underwater searchteam and the equipment needed to locate the wreck. The initial aim is to determine where the ship is lying.
At a later stage, various possibilities for commemorating the Altalena, its crew and the story will be considered. Currently, there is a small memorial for the Altalenaon the Tel Aviv promenade.